Apple Asks EU To Repeal Sweeping Big Tech Antitrust Rules
Apple singled out the danger to users from being forced to host external payments services and allow sideloading — or the downloading of apps from third-party marketplaces.
Apple Inc. has asked European Union antitrust watchdogs to scrap regulations intended to protect digital consumers, arguing they expose users to privacy risks and threaten to undermine innovation.
The US company reiterated its opposition Thursday to the sweeping rules, which the EU implemented last year to protect consumers and ensure that big tech firms don’t abuse their dominance of internet spheres from mobile apps to search engines. In a blog post, the iPhone maker stressed it was complying but urged regulators to look more closely at their impact on people and companies across the region. Apple went further in remarks submitted separately to the European Commission, asking the watchdog to repeal or scale back the regulation.
Apple has previously made clear its opposition to the Digital Markets Act, which lays out a series of dos and don’ts for the likes of Alphabet Inc.’s Google Search, Apple’s Safari, Amazon.com Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook among others. It’s intended to head off competition violations by tech firms before they take root, and fines for violations can be up to 10% of global revenue — or as much as 20% in the case of repeated breaches.
On Thursday, Apple singled out the danger to users from being forced to host external payments services and allow sideloading — or the downloading of apps from third-party marketplaces. That may expose iPhone users to malware or scams, it argued. Allowing other companies to request user data — as stipulated under the Act — may compromise sensitive information, it said.
“It’s become clear that the DMA is leading to a worse experience for Apple users in the EU. It’s exposing them to new risks, and disrupting the simple, seamless way their Apple products work together,” Apple wrote in its blogpost. “The DMA also isn’t helping European markets. Instead of competing by innovating, already successful companies are twisting the law to suit their own agendas — to collect more data from EU citizens, or to get Apple’s technology for free.”
The European Commission slapped a €500 million ($588 million) fine on Apple in April, saying that the iPhone maker ran afoul of rules related to allowing developers to steer users to make purchases outside of its store. Apple is appealing the decision made under the Act, which among other things targets firms with annual sales across the 27-nation bloc of at least €7.5 billion or a market capitalization of €75 billion and above.
Other big tech firms including Meta have also incurred fines under the regulation. In recent years, the EU has imposed costly penalties on firms, including more than $8 billion in fines against Google and a separate order for Apple to pay Ireland back taxes of €13 billion.
US President Donald Trump has long railed against EU tech and antitrust regulation over US tech giants. In August, he threatened to impose fresh tariffs and export restrictions on advanced technology and semiconductors in retaliation against other nations’ digital services taxes that hit American technology companies.
